What is the difference between a T4, T4A, and T4E?

A T4 (Statement of Remuneration Paid) is issued by your employer and shows employment income, CPP deductions, EI premiums, and income tax withheld. A T4A (Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income) covers income that is not traditional employment — including self-employment income, pension income, RESP educational assistance payments, Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), and other government payments. A T4E (Statement of Employment Insurance and Other Benefits) is issued by Service Canada and shows EI benefits you received during the year. All three result in taxable income that must be reported on your T1 return.

What is a T5 slip and what boxes do I enter on my tax return?

A T5 (Statement of Investment Income) is issued by financial institutions for investment income in non-registered accounts: interest (Box 13), actual eligible dividends (Box 24), taxable amount of eligible dividends (Box 25 — the grossed-up amount you enter on your return), and foreign income (Box 15). Box 25 is what goes on Line 12000 of your T1. The Dividend Tax Credit amount is on Box 26. Do not enter Box 24 — only Box 25. T5 slips are issued by February 28 and you will not receive one if your total investment income from that institution was under $50.

What is a T3 slip and why does it arrive so late?

A T3 (Statement of Trust Income Allocations and Designations) is issued by mutual funds, ETFs held in non-registered accounts, and investment trusts to report distributions paid to you during the year — interest, dividends, and capital gains that the fund earned and distributed. T3 slips are legally due by March 31 (vs February 28 for most other slips), and some complex fund structures can file for extensions. This is why many tax preparers advise waiting until mid-April before filing if you hold ETFs or mutual funds in a non-registered account. Missing a T3 can result in a CRA reassessment.

What is a T5008 slip?

A T5008 (Statement of Securities Transactions) is issued by your brokerage when you sell securities in a non-registered account. It shows the proceeds of disposition — what you received from the sale. It does NOT show your adjusted cost base (ACB) or tell you whether you have a capital gain or loss. You must calculate the gain or loss yourself: Proceeds (Box 21) minus your ACB minus any transaction fees = capital gain or loss. Capital gains are reported on Schedule 3 of your T1, and 50% of any net gain is included in income. You must keep your own ACB records.

What should I do if I am waiting for a T3 and the tax deadline is approaching?

If you hold ETFs or mutual funds in a non-registered account and have not received your T3 by mid-April, you have two options: (1) File on time with the income you know about and request a T1-ADJ (adjustment) later once you receive the T3 — this avoids the 5% late-filing penalty. (2) Use the CRA's Auto-fill my return (AFR) feature in tax software, which pulls T-slip data directly from CRA once it has been submitted by issuers — T3 data usually appears in CRA's system by late March or April. Filing with missing income is not recommended; the late-filing penalty for non-filers (5% + 1%/month) is worse than requesting an adjustment.

How to Read Your T Slips in Canada: T3, T4A, T5, and More (2026)

At a Glance: Canadian T Slips and What They Cover

Slip	Issued By	What Income It Covers	Tax Return Line
T4	Employer	Employment income, CPP, EI, benefits	Line 10100
T4A	Pension payer, government	Pension, RRSP income, RESP, self-employment, government payments	Lines 11500, 13000, 13010, etc.
T4E	Service Canada	EI and other government employment benefits	Line 11900
T4A(P)	Service Canada	CPP retirement, disability, survivor benefits	Line 11400
T4A(OAS)	Service Canada	Old Age Security and GIS payments	Line 11300
T4RSP	Financial institution	RRSP withdrawals (incl. HBP/LLP repayments not made)	Line 12900
T4RIF	Financial institution	RRIF withdrawals	Lines 11500 or 13000
T5	Financial institution	Interest, dividends from non-registered accounts	Lines 12000, 12010, 12100
T3	Fund/trust/ETF	Fund distributions from non-registered holdings	Lines 11600, 12000, 12010, 17600
T5008	Brokerage	Proceeds from selling securities (non-reg)	Schedule 3 (capital gains)
T2202	Educational institution	Tuition paid; eligible credit	Schedule 11
T4PS	Employer	Employee profit-sharing plan	Line 10100

T4 Slip — Key Boxes

Box	What It Shows	Where It Goes on T1
14	Employment income (total)	Line 10100
16	CPP or QPP employee contributions	Line 30800 (credit)
18	EI premiums	Line 31200 (credit)
22	Income tax deducted	Line 43700 (prepaid tax)
24	EI insurable earnings	For information only
40	Taxable benefits included in Box 14	Included in Line 10100
44	Union dues	Line 21200 (deduction)
46	Charitable donations	Schedule 9
52	Pension adjustment	Reduces next year’s RRSP room
85	Employee-paid health plan premiums	May qualify as medical expense on Line 33200

T4A Slip — Key Boxes

Box	What It Shows	Where It Goes on T1
016	Pension or superannuation	Line 11500
020	Self-employment commissions	Line 13500 (T2125 required)
022	Income tax deducted	Line 43700
028	Other income (CERB, CRB, various government payments)	Line 13000
040	Fees for services (business income)	Line 13500 / T2125
042	RESP: Accumulated Income Payment (AIP)	Line 13000
100	RESP: Educational Assistance Payment (EAP)	Line 13010 (excluded if full-time student under conditions)
105	RESP: EAP (scholarship component)	Scholarship exemption may apply
106	RESP: Other payments	Line 13010

T5 Slip — Key Boxes

Box	What It Shows	Where It Goes on T1
10	Actual amount of ineligible (non-eligible) dividends	— (do not enter Box 10)
11	Taxable amount of ineligible dividends (115% gross-up)	Line 12010
12	Dividend tax credit for ineligible dividends	Line 40425
13	Interest from Canadian sources	Line 12100
15	Foreign income	Line 12100 (plus Form T2209 for withholding tax paid)
16	Foreign tax paid	Form T2209 (foreign tax credit)
24	Actual amount of eligible dividends	— (do not enter Box 24)
25	Taxable amount of eligible dividends (138% gross-up)	Line 12000
26	Dividend tax credit for eligible dividends	Line 40425

Common error: Entering Box 24 or Box 10 instead of the taxable amount (Box 25 or Box 11). CRA uses the grossed-up amount for income inclusion and then applies the credit — if you enter the actual amount, you will underpay.

T3 Slip — Key Boxes

Box	What It Shows	Where It Goes on T1
21	Capital gains	Schedule 3 (50% inclusion = Line 12700)
23	Actual amount of eligible dividends	— (do not enter)
25	Taxable amount of eligible dividends (138% gross-up)	Line 12000
32	Actual amount of ineligible dividends	— (do not enter)
33	Taxable amount of ineligible dividends (115% gross-up)	Line 12010
26	Dividend tax credit for eligible dividends	Line 40425
49	Foreign income	Line 12100
34	Interest from Canadian sources	Line 12100
42	Amount eligible for capital gains deduction	—
30	Return of capital (ROC)	Not income; reduces ACB of the investment

T5008 Slip — How to Use It

Field	What It Shows	What You Must Calculate Yourself
Box 20	Cost or book value (your ACB)	Only shown if your broker tracked it; may say “Cost not available”
Box 21	Proceeds of disposition (what you received)	—
Box 23	The security description and date of transaction	Used to match with your own records
Capital gain	Not calculated for you	Box 21 − Box 20 (your ACB) − commissions paid

ACB tracking is your legal responsibility. If Box 20 is blank (“Cost not available”), you must calculate ACB from your purchase records. Errors in ACB are a common CRA audit trigger.

The Late T3 Problem — What to Do

Timing	Situation	Recommended Action
By February 28	Most T4, T4A, T5 slips available	Use CRA Auto-fill (AFR) in your tax software
By March 31	T3 slips legally due	Check for T3s via CRA AFR before filing
Early April	T3 still missing	File return without T3, then file T1-ADJ when received (avoids late penalty) OR wait a few more days and use AFR
After April 30	Still no T3	File your return to avoid late-filing penalty; amend later via MyAccount
Never receives a T3	Under $50 threshold or institution didn’t issue	Not required to file if under reporting threshold, but still good practice

Auto-fill My Return (AFR) — How It Helps

What AFR Does	Benefit
Downloads T4, T5, T3, T4A, T4E slips directly from CRA	Eliminates manual entry errors
Pre-fills RRSP room, TFSA room, carry-forward amounts	Accurate starting point
Pulls prior year data	Helps with carryover fields
Available in all major NETFILE tax software	Works with Wealthsimple Tax, TurboTax, UFile, StudioTax, CloudTax
Requires CRA My Account login	No SIN or date of birth needed once connected